Q: Hollowed Sky is a relatively new band. Can you talk a little bit about the formation and history of the band?A: Stephen Berchielli: We formed in November of 2016.We're a new band, but our members have a long history together…Joe Bradshaw: Charles and I played in a metal band called 'Phylactery' back in 2006-2007. We were jamming pretty regularly in my shed in 2014, but then took a break so I could fix up and sell my house. Charles and I wanted to work on a project that wasn’t primarily metal, but a bit more progressive rock/pop sounding. He suggested jamming with Steve as a guitarist, and we immediately locked in the first 30 seconds of jamming. SB: Charles and I have a long history together, as we used to frequent the same local all ages shows in the early 2000s, and we ended up playing in a band together from about 2010-2012.Once that project eventually fell apart, I had nothing to work on for quite a long time, so I was thrilled when Charles told me Joe was ready to jam! It was just Charles, Joe, and myself at first, and after about five or six months of jamming and writing, we felt we had enough structured songs to record an EP. The only problem was that we didn't have a singer. Luckily, Jay happened to see a 'Facebook Live' video that we posted, and texted me at the end of practice one night.We talked on the phone during the drive home, and after a period of a few weeks we decided to give it a go. Jay and I have known each other since 1997 or so (having met in high school), and we have worked together on a number of projects in the past, so it was a natural fit.After only two or three rehearsals, the songs all had the foundations for lyrics and vocal melodies, and it was only a month or two after that when we decided to begin recording the EP.JB: Once Jay came aboard, it immediately became evident that he brought a new dynamic to the songs and the sound as a whole.

Q: Your recent self-titled album has a ’90s rock sound to my ears. Were bands from that era an influence on the record?A: SB: We didn't set out for the album to have a ’90s sound, but it's hard to deny the influence. I think we all had different experiences with that era of music because we are a little spread out in age (and tastes). The influence from bands like Tool, Soundgarden, Deftones, Faith No More, Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots, Queens of the Stone Age and Smashing Pumpkins (to name a few) is hard to deny.That doesn’t necessarily reflect what I listen to most of the time these days, but I think that stuff is just part of my musical DNA. JB:I loved Ministry, Alice in Chains, Primus, Guns n' Roses, etc., but I've also listened to some more underground bands like: Bloodlet, Dillinger Escape Plan and Will Heaven.I still love Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.Charles Rupertus: Bands like: Coheed and Cambria, Incubus, Thursday and Thrice, but also older bands like Pink Floyd and The Doors. SB: From a production standpoint, we were certainly going for a raw and genuine sound, which is something I miss about that era.

QQ:What was it like self-producing your first release?

A: JB: I really enjoy the recording process-- setting up drum mics and experimenting with damping the heads, distance, so forth. Steve you really did the whole thing, so you can really elaborate on this the most. I thought it was awesome to not have to rely on anyone else, being able to take our time tweaking the sound, etc. And we didn’t have to spend a shitload of money doing it either.

SB: Recording and mixing this EP drove me right up to the brink of insanity, but was totally worth it for us in the end. We tracked the drums over the course of one Saturday afternoon/evening session. Then I proceeded to essentially lock myself in my basement for about ten weeks. We recorded guitar, bass and vocals down there, and I taught myself how to use the recording software as I went along. My previous experience was all with early 2000s era digital recorders, so this was my first time working with a true DAW. All of the bands I've ever been in have recorded in makeshift studios, and I picked up a lot of knowledge over the years just from being in those environments. Google and YouTube were also crucial to the process. The nice thing about self-producing is that it's a more relaxed environment. There's nobody looking over your shoulder with the clock running, so it's just easier to be productive and give the best performances possible.

Jay Orem: It was great to be able to take the time to get everything the exact way that we wanted it. While it was tedious, it was extremely satisfying in the end. From tweaking toms to layering guitars, it was truly a rewarding experience doing it ourselves.

Q: What is the creative process like for the band?

​A: SB: We typically write as a unit during rehearsals. Sometimes it starts with a riff somebody worked on at home; but many times we just plug in, start improvising and see where the night takes us. We also like to make rough recordings of the jam sessions and spend the days between band practice listening and sorting through the good, bad and ugly of it all. Then when we come back the following week, just refine it a little further. We'll do that for weeks on end until we're all totally happy with the final product.

JB: Lots of jamming, extracting cool parts of those jams, and finding relationships and similarities. Kind of letting things fall into place naturally. We usually start with a guitar or bass riff, and try to put a solid groove under it with drums. I think having Jay more involved in the process on the next album will make the formats more conducive to vocal arrangements. Overall I think our tunes have increased in complexity and originality each time we write a new song, and we've really only just established what I think may be the core of our sound. Now we can really start tapping into it and deviating from it to build interesting arrangements.

Q: How often is the band playing live and how much do you sound like the record live?

A: SB: We took sort of an unusual route of writing, recording, and releasing an EP without having played a show together. Our first show will be under our belts soon, and I think our intention right now is to play out a few times a year with our main focus being writing and recording music for an online audience. You never know, maybe we'll decide to take the show on the road for a few dates at some point. Our intention is for the live performances to sound as close to the recording as possible.

JB: I think we sound dead on to the album. Most of us are in our mid 30's and have full time career jobs, so practicing once a week is about the most we can do.

JO: Spot on. We like to make the live experience exactly like our record. We want to give that type of quality to our fans. Not many bands seem to be able to pull off a live show that sounds just like their album these days. We pride ourselves on doing that, and doing it well.

SB: I hope that we will sound raw, loud, and hopefully intense enough to get some kind of emotional response from the audience.

Q: What else can we expect from hollowed sky?

A: SB: Our goal is to try and put out our second EP at the end of 2018. We've really just begun the writing process, but I'm really excited to get to work on the next batch of songs.

JO: We're rolling now. Since I've joined this circus, I can add to the writing process. Be on the lookout for more good things from us in the near future.

JB: This next year should be a good one. This band is an essential creative outlet for all of us, whether it is hanging out and jamming, playing out live, or whatever. I only expect us to get tighter as a band and hopefully write more cool and interesting tunes.